The Orc Lord's eyes were drenched in bloodlust.He no longer cared who was friend or foe.The narrow streets of the village crumbled beneath his massive steps.With every stride came a scream. With every swing, destruction followed.
At first, some tried to stop him.But they barely took a single step before their heads were severed from their bodies.
The bandits were panicking.They had come to loot a helpless village—not to face a monster like this.Their swords slipped from their trembling hands. Some tried to flee, while others kept fighting out of desperation.
But nothing could change what was coming.
The Orc Lord's rage knew no bounds.
Houses burned. Walls collapsed.People either ran or died where they stood.
And Zayn? He was still nowhere to be seen.Perhaps he was watching.Perhaps... he was smiling.
Near the village center, in a small square, a group of soldiers still held their ground.They had inflicted heavy losses on the bandits.Most of the invaders were already dead or had fled in fear of the Orc Lord's wrath.
But the bandits were no longer the real threat.The Orc Lord was.
One soldier dropped to his knees, covered in blood.Lifting his head, he whispered:
"Why… is that thing attacking everyone?"
No answer came.Only a man's trembling voice attempting a prayer.
And then—A massive shadow loomed over them.The Orc Lord had noticed them.
And he would show no mercy.ry—but as a challenge.
The real battle had just begun.
The village center had become frozen in fear.
Despite the heat of the flames consuming every corner, people held their breath as if the fire itself had stolen the air.
The Orc Lord stepped forward with thunderous strides.
Each step cracked the stone beneath, shaking not just the ground but the hearts of all who still dared to hope.
A handful of surviving soldiers tried firing arrows from rooftops and behind cover—but nothing worked. Nothing even slowed him down.
And at that moment...
A bloodied man pushed himself up from the ground, breath shallow but eyes burning with defiance.
His left arm was wrapped tightly, blood still seeping through.
It was the bandit leader.
Wounded—but far from done.
Beside him stood his younger brother.
His face was smeared with soot, his breaths rapid, but his stance solid. Determined.
The villagers recognized them.
Enemies not long ago…
But now, standing between the village and a greater monster.
The Orc Lord's shadow fell over them.
Their eyes met.
No words.
No sound.
Just breathing. Just tension.
And then—
The brothers charged.
Shattered weapons in hand, torn armor clinging to them, they moved not as villains, but as warriors with nothing to lose.
The Orc Lord acknowledged their attack.
He didn't retreat. He didn't mock them.
He struck back.
With one swift motion, he sent both flying—one into the mud, the other into the base of a smoldering post.
But they rose again.
Shaken.
Bruised.
Still alive.
They had not fallen.
For the first time… the Orc Lord didn't look down on them.
He roared.
Not in mockery—but as a challenge.
The real battle had just begun.
The village was nothing more than ruins now. The Orc Lord had burned and crushed everything in his path—man, woman, child, it didn't matter. Nothing had stopped him. No sword pierced his flesh, no arrow slowed his step. The bandits had suffered heavy losses, but they still fought. Yet their greatest threat was a creature even they couldn't control.
With every step, the ground trembled beneath the Orc Lord. Foaming at the mouth, eyes glowing with a crimson rage, he swung his massive axe, reducing homes and bodies alike into mangled wreckage.
The bandit leader, still standing despite losing an arm, clenched his teeth. His face was a mix of pain and determination. Beside him, his younger brother met his gaze. No words were spoken. They didn't need any.
"Ready?" the brother whispered.
The leader gave a slow nod. "We didn't bring this beast… but we'll be the ones to end it."
Together, they moved through the smoke, circling around the monster like shadows in the night. But the Orc Lord sensed them. He spun around with a guttural growl, axe already in motion. Before the blow could land, the bandit leader threw a dagger with his one good arm. It struck the creature's throat—drawing blood, but not slowing it down. It only enraged it further.
The battle erupted.
Blood. Mud. Screams. Every blow carried agony. The brother slashed at its leg, drawing a roar from the beast. The leader leapt onto its back, plunging another blade into its neck. Still, it didn't fall.
With a single mighty swing, the Orc Lord hurled them both into the air. The brother crashed into the dirt, bones cracking. The leader gritted his teeth and climbed back up the creature's frame, screaming as he drove his final dagger deep into the creature's eye.
The Orc Lord staggered.
One step... another... and finally, it collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.
No one cheered.
No one moved.
They all simply stood there, in silence, drenched in dust, blood, and death.
When the Orc Lord fell, the ground trembled.Everyone thought it was over. That monstrous beast had finally been defeated.But death... is sometimes only the beginning.
A stir in the shadows...
The lifeless body twitched.Then, with a roar that shook the forest, it stood up once more.
Its face was torn apart, one eye blinded, yet its rage had only grown.
The bandit leader, barely standing with one arm, stared at the beast.Beside him, his younger brother struggled to breathe.Still, neither of them retreated.
"One final strike," the brother muttered.
"We end it here," the leader answered.
Together, they charged.The brother drove his dagger into the creature's knee. The leader climbed its back, stabbing deep into its shoulder.But the Orc Lord didn't fall. Not yet.
With a brutal howl, the beast grabbed the brother and slammed him into the earth, pinning him like a broken doll.
His scream echoed through the trees.
The leader shouted, eyes wide with fury and pain. He rushed forward, swinging wildly, trying to avenge what had just happened.
The Orc Lord struck him down. He fell to the dirt, struggling to breathe, crawling away as the monster approached.
And then—silence.
A sound of footsteps.Slow. Calm. Unafraid.
From the smoke, a figure emerged.Blade in hand.Eyes cold. Emotionless.
Zayn.
The Orc Lord turned, sensing him—but it was too late.With one swift motion, Zayn's blade plunged into the beast's neck.It sank deep, slicing through flesh and bone.
The Orc Lord crashed down. This time, for good.
But Zayn wasn't done.
He turned to the bandit leader.
The man raised his hand, gasping. "W-Wait... I fought with you—"
"No," Zayn said quietly."I don't take sides."
A second dagger.Right into the man's heart.
His eyes froze. His voice died in his throat.
Two corpses. Two enemies. One silence.
Zayn wiped the blood from his hands and turned away, walking into the forest.No words. No mercy.Only shadow.
📌 End of Chapter Note:
Zayn didn't just kill his enemies… he erased witnesses.True darkness doesn't take sides. It simply arrives—and when it does, there is no one left to speak.